Rome Masters 2014: Daily Scores, Results and Schedule

In what was the final French Open tune-up tournament for many of the top players in the world, the 2014 Rome Masters, otherwise known as Internazionali BNL d'Italia, is the second-most-famous clay event behind Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic won on the men's side and Serena Williams won on the women's side.

The tournament took place at Foro Italico in Rome, and this event was about so much more than just tennis. In one of the cultural capitals of the world, the best tennis players in the game performed in front of the high-fashion Italian crowds.

On the men’s side, the field was absolutely stacked. Seven-time champion Rafael Nadal came into the event as the favorite, but he was forced to contend against the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray.

This was an incredibly tough road to a tournament championship.

After beating Kei Nishikori in the finals of the Madrid Open, Nadal told BBC Sport about his opponent’s injury:

I'm sorry for him. When you suffer something like that, it's really tough. I suffered a similar situation in Australia this year. So I know what I'm talking about and how bitter it is, especially when you're playing an important match.

On the women’s side, defending tournament champion Serena Williams was the focus for many fans. After withdrawing from the Madrid Open with leg issues, how Williams performed heading into the French Open was important.

The women’s field was just as intense as the men’s, though. Not only was Williams looking for another tourney victory, but former champion Maria Sharapova also joined Li Na, Sloane Stephens, Ana Ivanovic, Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova in their attempt to win the title.

With both the men’s and women’s tournaments filled with Grand Slam hopefuls who were looking to build momentum heading into the French Open later in May, the Rome Masters lived up to the lofty expectations.

Day 7 Results

In the final day of action at the 2014 Rome Masters, the championship matchups on both the men’s and women’s side lived up to the hype of the first six days of action.

With the biggest names in the sport going to battle with a victory on the line, tennis fans were treated to two excellent games.

On the women’s side, No. 1 seed and American star Serena Williams was able to defeat No. 10 seed Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-0. Williams dominated throughout the entire tournament and carried that momentum into the finals.

Errani deserves credit for her run to the finals, but Williams was clearly the best player on the court.

On the men’s side, No. 2 seed NovakDjokovic upset tournament favorite and No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The battle was as intense as tennis fans could have expected, but Djokovic proved to be the better player on Sunday.

With the French Open approaching fast, Williams and Djokovic have built incredible momentum heading into the second Grand Slam of the season.

There were several player who performed well in Rome, and the intense competition is what fans want to see leading into the matchups at Roland Garros.

After needing three sets to advance from each of his first three matches, Rafael Nadal looked far more like the best clay-court player in history on Saturday. He cruised passed Grigor Dimitrov, an effort that made it appear he's finally rounding into form with the French Open around the corner.

Nadal was able to use his usual combination of movement and counterattacking to keep Dimitrov, who still deserves credit for the deep run, from finding any type of rhythm. The Spaniard faced just three break points in the match and saved them all.

He's won the Rome Masters title seven times before and will go for No. 8 on Sunday. His opponent will be Novak Djokovic, who fought back to eliminate Milos Raonic.

The Canadian underdog put up a tremendous fight throughout the match. In fact, he was the better player for a majority of the first two sets before running out of steam in the third. His chance to win came in the second-set tiebreak, but he couldn't put the Serbian star away.

Djokovic has looked back to full strength after missing some time with a wrist injury. He was forced to grind out the win, however, as the match took three hours. That puts him at a disadvantage as he prepares to face Nadal in the final.

On the women's side, Serena Williams was pushed to a third set by Ana Ivanovic before closing out the match in impressive fashion. Ivanvoic played well, but it was just another example of what the top-ranked American can do when she's playing her best.

Williams was able to make consistent inroads on the Ivanovic serve, and it paid off in the first and third sets. Her form dropped in the second set, something she will want to avoid at the French, but otherwise the signs are mostly positive.

She will face Sara Errani in the final after the Italian knocked out Jelena Jankovic in straight sets.

The biggest reason for her success was creating chances against Jankovic's serve. She ended up with 15 break-point opportunities and converted on five of them. That was enough to overcome some lackluster play in her own service games.

Errani will need to perform better on serve in order to have a chance to pull off the upset in the championship match, though. Otherwise, Williams will simply power her off the court. The American holds a 6-0 advantage in their previous meetings.

Friday was quarterfinal day at the Rome Masters and while two top seeds fell in the women's singles draw, the top-ranked men delivered.

Two-time Italian Open champion Novak Djokovic won Day 5's most thrilling quarterfinal, topping 2013 French Open finalist and fifth-seeded David Ferrer in three sets. Both players showcased tremendous shot-making and athleticism throughout, but the world No. 2 was able to break serve late to pull away.4

Eighth-seeded Canadian Milos Raonic and 12th-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov were also victorious on Friday. Raonic went the distance but ultimately dispatched unseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, while Dimitrov advanced to the semifinals quickly after veteran Tommy Haas retired following the first set of their quarterfinal.

Still, the best match of the day took place between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Murray was dominant in the first set by winning 6-1, but the No. 1 seed came back strong by winning the next two sets in a match that lasted almost three hours.

This was a battle that we are likely to see again at some point at Roland Garros.

Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska were the big upset victims on the women's side on Friday. Li was able to draw level with clay-court specialist Sara Errani briefly, but was no match for the 10th-seeded Italian in the deciding set.

Meanwhile, sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic left no doubts in her straight-sets win over Radwanska, cruising to set up a semifinal clash with Errani this weekend.

With plenty of big names, including several Grand Slam champions still alive heading into Day 6's semifinal action, tennis fans will be in for a treat this weekend as the competition at the Rome Masters heats up.

After Day three of the 2014 Rome Masters featured most of the top-ranked players advancing to the next round, Thursday’s competition was a bit more fierce.

Several top seeds have fallen.

On the women’s side, the biggest news of the day comes from the loss by No. 8 seed Maria Sharapova to No. 11 seed Ana Ivanovic, 6-1, 6-4. Not only did Sharapova take the loss in this matchup, but Ivanovic also managed to dominate her foe in a lop-sided game.

No. 12 seed Flavia Pennetta was also eliminated, but it was at the hands of No. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic. Her loss was more expected than Sharapova’s.

On the men’s side, the biggest upset of the day was No. 3 seed Stan Wawrinka losing to No. 15 seed Tommy Haas, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Wawrinka looked strong in the first set, but struggled in the second and never could regain his composure in the third.

Only No. 16 seed Sloane Stephens was the only ranked women’s player on Day 3.

On the men’s side, the big news of the day was No. 4 seed Roger Federer losing to Jeremy Chardy. Federer has struggled lately, but an early dismissal from the Rome Masters does not bode well for his chances at the French Open.

Although Rafael Nadal had trouble as well, he was able to escape a tough battle against Gilles Simon. The two competitors split the first two sets with each of them going to tiebreak before Nadal was able to get back on track with a 6-2 win in the third set.

The other ranked men in action did manage to dominate, though, as No. 7 Andy Murray, No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 12 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 14 Mikhail Youzhny and No. 15 Tommy Haas all advanced to the next round.

With the action only continuing to heat up as the tournament progresses, tennis fans should be bracing for a final conclusion with most of these top seeds still alive.

With three top-10 seeded eliminated from the competition, the field is wide open.

While upsets hurt three of the top stars, No. 10 seed Sara Errani and No. 13 seed Carla Suarez Navarro both managed to advance.

On the men’s side, it was a fairly routine day for the ranked players in action. No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic, No. 3 seed Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 5 seed David Ferrer and No. 15 seed Tommy Haas all advanced to the next round, but it was Djokovic drawing the most headlines.

After withdrawing from the Madrid Open with a wrist injury, the focus on how well he plays leading into the French Open will be a determining factor in how he will be favored in the new Grand Slam tournament.

The lone upset of the day belonged to Philipp Kohlschreiber, as he defeated No. 16 Tommy Robredo in decisive fashion, 6-2, 6-4. This victory will swing momentum heavily in Kohlschreiber's direction, as his matchups will only become increasingly difficult throughout the remainder of the tournament.

The first day of the Rome Masters featured many of the qualifiers and wild cards proving their way into the men’s and women’s draws.

On the men’s side, No. 12 seed Grigor Dimitrov was the first ranked man to advance by beating Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Many of the other top seeds advanced with a bye, but Dimitrov earned his way to the next round.

The men’s side also featured No. 13 seed Fabio Fognini losing to unranked Lukas Rosol, 6-3, 6-2, in stunning fashion. Many expected Fognini to be a contender at the Rome Masters, but he faltered in his very first match.

On the women’s side, both No. 11 seed Ana Ivanovic and No. 16 seed Sloane Stephens advanced to the next round, but No. 15 seed Sabine Lisicki and No. 17 seed Eugenie Bouchard lost their matches and were eliminated early.

The first two days of these packed tournaments are always full of unproven names trying to cement their spot in the sport, but the action will only intensify as top stars like Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams begin to take over.